CBC has been monitoring New York City's efforts to find health savings. CBC has long advocated negotiating changes to health insurance as part of collective bargaining and applauded the labor-management agreement that committed to meet annual savings targets.

CBC offers recommendations for legislative action on the Governor’s Executive Budget for fiscal year 2017. The recommendations cover four proposals that deserve support, five proposals that should be modified, and four proposals that should be rejected.

Savings that would have normally been reserved for general budget needs—such as funding libraries or maintaining public parks—and are attributable to a national slowdown in health care costs, are now being credited to the health savings agreement.

In 2012, Governor Cuomo achieved significant pension reforms that curbed taxpayer costs and provided appropriate benefits for retirees. The CBC urges the Governor to protect those savings by vetoing these bills.

A bill in the State Legislature would reverse recent pension reforms and greatly increase New York City’s required future pension fund contributions. The CBC urges Mayor de Blasio to oppose the supporting home rule message under consideration in the City Council and the bill itself.

This letter suggests guidelines for effective implementation of the agreement between the City and the Municipal Labor Committee to generate $3.4 billion in health care savings between fiscal years 2015 and 2018.

We believe this proposal would endanger the future financial viability of the pension plans and recommend you reject it. It would undermine the culture and history of paying the pension bills when they are due that characterizes New York.

We believe this proposal would endanger the future financial viability of the pension plans and recommend you reject it. It would undermine the culture and history of paying the pension bills when they are due that characterizes New York.

First, the Council should focus on structural changes to municipal finances that will make budgeting easier in future years. Second, the Council should phase out the unusual practice of reimbursing retired municipal workers for their Medicare Part B premiums.

CBC sent a letter to Governor Cuomo urging him to veto A6309/S4067, the bill that would allow school districts to borrow an amount equal to 125% of their required 2011 pension contributions and to repay them over 15 years.

The fiscal realities of the time have not deterred the Legislature from advancing dozens of bills enhancing benefits for State and local employees and retirees. Three were already sent to you for consideration this week; another will be shortly. We are writing to ask that you veto them.

CBC commends legislators for voting against A9037/S52204, a bill that would have allowed state and local governments to postpone paying the full required annual contributions to their employee pension funds.